Removing obstacles in paying expenses from selling credits

Quang Tri is one of six provinces selected to participate in the pilot project on the transfer of emission reduction results (selling carbon credits) and financial management of the agreement on payment for greenhouse gas emission reduction in the North Central region (ERPA) according to Decree No. 107/2022/ND-CP of the Government. This is an opportunity to help people in the province who are attached to the forest earn more income, while at the same time enhancing their responsibility for forest protection and development. However, the implementation of ERPA is facing some difficulties and obstacles.

Forest protection team of Ho village, Huong Son commune, Huong Hoa with forest rangers patrolling to protect the forest - Photo: TT

The Dakrong Nature Reserve Management Board (hereinafter referred to as the Management Board) is responsible for managing, protecting forests, and conserving biodiversity over an area of ​​37,666.01 hectares. In addition, the reserve is also assigned to manage the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail landscape protection area with a natural area of ​​5,237.4 hectares. In 2023, the Management Board will receive more than 4.3 billion VND from the Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund for carbon credit sales.

The Board has developed a plan for benefit sharing under the ERPA program with funding from 2023 to be implemented in 2024. At the same time, it has worked with the authorities of the buffer zone communes including Ta Long, Ba Nang, Huc Nghi, A Bung, Dakrong, Ba Long, Trieu Nguyen and the participating communities to agree on implementing the forest management agreement and supporting livelihoods for the communities of villages living near the forest and in the forest under the assigned management.

With the amount of 4.3 billion VND paid, the unit spent 10% on management costs, more than 3.3 billion VND on support for communities participating in forest management, more than 64 million VND on support for People's Committees of communes with communities participating in forest management, and more than 533 million VND on silvicultural measures.

The ERPA program helps the Management Board have a source of funding to support people in the buffer zone communes to create jobs and increase income to stabilize their lives. However, due to the first year of implementation in the pilot phase, there are still many difficulties and problems.

According to Deputy Director of Dakrong Nature Reserve Management Board Ho Viet Thang, comparing the provisions in Appendix I issued with Decree No. 107/2022/ND-CP dated December 28, 2022 of the Government , the money from selling carbon credits is only paid for forest protection contracts for the community. Therefore, for the area of ​​forest environmental services that the unit has contracted to individuals, households, groups of households and the area that the unit self-protects and cannot negotiate and contract forest protection under the ERPA program is a great disadvantage for the unit and people in these areas. In addition, according to the provisions of Point C, Clause 2, Article 3, Decree No. 107, the implementation costs must ensure the principle of reasonableness and not overlap with other expenditures of the state budget.

This has limited the sharing of benefits according to the purpose of the program. Because a part of the natural forest area under the management of the reserve has been allocated funding from other state budgets according to current policies through programs and projects. If implemented according to the above regulations, it will be impossible to implement forest protection contracting as well as implement livelihood support policies according to the provisions of Decree No. 107.

According to regulations, the beneficiaries are the residential communities, the People's Committees at the commune level have agreements to participate in forest management activities with forest owners who are organizations, while in reality in Quang Tri, the natural forest areas managed by forest owners who are organizations are mainly located in remote areas, many border areas, with difficult access conditions, with few or no residential communities. Therefore, when implementing payment of funds from selling forest carbon credits, these forest areas are difficult to implement the assignment to the community. The limitation of the recipients (residential communities) according to regulations does not ensure feasibility in forest protection and management.

According to the decision of the Provincial People's Committee, the forest area paid from ERPA is 126,692.4 hectares, the area paid for forest environmental services according to the provisions of Decree No. 156/2018/ND-CP is 50,092.32 hectares.

The majority of the natural forest area in the province is located in the two mountainous districts of Huong Hoa and Dakrong with an area of ​​96,157.13 hectares, accounting for nearly 80% of the forest area paid for by ERPA. These are also the two districts that receive annual payments for forest environmental services, and currently have additional revenue from ERPA, contributing to increasing the income of forest owners.

Statistics from the Quang Tri Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund show that from October 3, 2023 to December 30, 2024, the total revenue from selling forest carbon credits is more than VND 51.1 billion. In 2023, in Quang Tri province, there are 8 forest owners who are organizations benefiting from revenue from ERPA with a total area of ​​85,752.93 hectares, equivalent to more than VND 10.8 billion.

There are 66 communities receiving livelihood development support with a total amount of 3.3 billion VND, of which 56 communities are ethnic minorities. Activities to support community livelihood development mainly include purchasing plant and animal breeds and building public works for the community such as yards, roofs for communal houses, house painting, purchasing tables and chairs, installing lighting, building fences for communal houses... As of December 30, 2024, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has spent more than 35.6 billion VND for beneficiaries from selling forest carbon credits.

According to Decree No. 107/2022/ND-CP, the condition for receiving support for livelihood development is that the community must register to participate in forest management activities and agree to participate in forest management activities with the company. This is an important and humane content to create stable livelihoods for people living in or near the forest to reduce pressure on forest protection.

To resolve these difficulties and obstacles, the units proposed that the forest protection contracting activities should expand the scope of forest protection contracting to natural forest areas of forest owners who are organizations such as households and individuals legally residing in the locality; propose to increase the level of livelihood support for the community or allow the combination of investment sources from programs and projects.

The Provincial People's Committee has issued a document proposing to amend and supplement Decree No. 107/2022/ND-CP dated December 28, 2022 of the Government on piloting the transfer of emission reduction results and financial management of greenhouse gas emission reduction payments in the North Central region, allowing the integration of funding sources to increase the forest protection contract level to encourage forces to participate in forest protection.

Thanh Truc

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/thao-go-vuong-mac-trong-chi-tra-kinh-phi-tu-ban-tin-chi-cac-bon-rung-191237.htm